Dear All,
The purpose of this blog is to provide you with information on how to handle planned and unplanned services using lean services. The content below has been compiled from various blogs, the SAP Help Portal, SAP documentation, and my own experience. Its aim is assist you to manage services effectively.
Purchase orders can consist of standard items for planned services or limit items for unplanned services.
A purchaser can create purchase orders for lean services using the SAP Fiori app Manage Purchase Orders or the advanced app Create Purchase Order - Advanced.
For Standard Items: The purchase order standard item specifies the required services and consumable materials by short text or by reference to a product master and by a unit of measure, price per unit, and required quantity.
For Limit Items: The purchase order limit item specifies only a short text and defines an expected value and an overall limit for cost control.
Additional information on Product Type Group : Services (2)
The product type group Service (2) must be set for at least one item that you add to a service entry sheet. Otherwise, the purchase order item can't be referenced by the service entry sheet:
Additional information on Product Type Group: Material (1)
In a service entry sheet, you can also record Consumable Materials, i.e. material items used during the execution of a service and planned together with a service in the reference purchase order. Be aware that you can only record materials that were planned together with a service in a purchase order. This means that you have to maintain at least one item of product type group Service (2) in a service entry sheet. If you only add material items from the purchase order to the service entry sheet, an error occurs and the service entry sheet can't be posted.
Further details related to consumable material restriction, refer section "Restrictions on consumable Materials in Service Entry Sheets"
Each service entry sheet references one purchase order. Below are different options
Creating SES for planned services with reference to purchase order standard items.
In the service entry sheet, you complete the data of the purchase order by entering an item description, performance period and the stated quantity.
Creating SES for unplanned services with reference to purchase order limit items.
Creating SES for unplanned services with a purchase contract as source of supply
In the purchase order, you can leave open which items are required and at the same time restrict which items are allowed by the following scenario.
In the service entry sheet, you maintain the number of the purchase order as Reference Purchase Order. The number of the purchase contract is derived by the system as the Contract for Limit. By entering the Purchase Contract Item, you select the respective items from the contract. The purchase contract also determines the price per unit for each item.
Creating SES and add multiple service entry sheet items from purchase order or purchase contract
Instead of manually entering the details of service entry sheet items individually, you can add multiple items at once based on either the reference purchase order or purchase contract. The basic details for the selected items are then automatically entered in the service entry sheet.
Details on Statuses in Service Entry Sheets.
The document and the approval status provide information on the current state of a service entry sheet and its approval process. In this topic, you find information on how the two statuses are related.
The document status describes the current state of the document itself. For example, a service entry sheet is In Process if a purchaser created and saved it but hasn't yet sent it for approval. The approval status, on the contrary, describes the state of the service entry sheet within its approval process. If a service entry sheet is, for example, In Approval the purchaser has sent it for approval and it's now waiting for an approver to either release or reject it.
The two statuses are closely related. The following table provides detailed information for each combination of document and approval status.
If the purchaser has already maintained an account assignment in the purchase order item, it is transferred to the service entry sheet and you can change it. If not maintained in the purchase order item, you define a valid account assignment for each service entry sheet item.
In general, you can define or change the following account assignment-related entries or settings in the service entry sheet:
Account Assignment Object
Depending on the data entered in the referenced purchase order, you can select one of the following Account Assignment Distribution indicators.
In case of multiple account assignments, you can add or change the specific values for the Account Assignment Distribution.
The table below offers a more detailed overview of the possible constellations.
The pricing elements, the pricing procedure, price dates, price conditions, and subtotals are predefined in the reference purchase order or purchase contract. When you create a service entry sheet item, the condition basis and resulting values are determined and displayed automatically in the Pricing facet.
The following table gives you an overview of the requirements for displaying and editing pricing information in service entry sheets:
I hope this will give you an idea of how to use lean services.
Thanks & Regards,
Joginder Saini
The purpose of this blog is to provide you with information on how to handle planned and unplanned services using lean services. The content below has been compiled from various blogs, the SAP Help Portal, SAP documentation, and my own experience. Its aim is assist you to manage services effectively.
Planned and unplanned services
Purchase orders can consist of standard items for planned services or limit items for unplanned services.
Essential information during the purchase order creation process
A purchaser can create purchase orders for lean services using the SAP Fiori app Manage Purchase Orders or the advanced app Create Purchase Order - Advanced.
For Standard Items: The purchase order standard item specifies the required services and consumable materials by short text or by reference to a product master and by a unit of measure, price per unit, and required quantity.
For Limit Items: The purchase order limit item specifies only a short text and defines an expected value and an overall limit for cost control.
Additional information on Product Type Group : Services (2)
The product type group Service (2) must be set for at least one item that you add to a service entry sheet. Otherwise, the purchase order item can't be referenced by the service entry sheet:
- In case of standard free-text items as well as for limit items, you maintain the product type group Service (2)in the purchase order item details.
- You can create limit items even with no contract in the purchase order. If there is a contract, you can maintain the contract item in the item details of the service entry sheet.
- In case of standard items referencing master data, you can use master data of such product types that contain the product type group Service (2).
Additional information on Product Type Group: Material (1)
In a service entry sheet, you can also record Consumable Materials, i.e. material items used during the execution of a service and planned together with a service in the reference purchase order. Be aware that you can only record materials that were planned together with a service in a purchase order. This means that you have to maintain at least one item of product type group Service (2) in a service entry sheet. If you only add material items from the purchase order to the service entry sheet, an error occurs and the service entry sheet can't be posted.
- In case of standard free-text items, you maintain the product type group Material (1) in the purchase order item details.
- In case of standard items referencing master data, you can use master data of such product types that contain the product type group Material (1).
Further details related to consumable material restriction, refer section "Restrictions on consumable Materials in Service Entry Sheets"
Essential information during the Service entry sheet creation process
Each service entry sheet references one purchase order. Below are different options
Creating SES for planned services with reference to purchase order standard items.
In the service entry sheet, you complete the data of the purchase order by entering an item description, performance period and the stated quantity.
Creating SES for unplanned services with reference to purchase order limit items.
- In the service entry sheet, you complete the data of the purchase order by entering an item description, the performance period, the stated quantity with its unit of measure, and the price per unit.
- The system displays the expected value of the referenced purchase order limit item. It issues a warning if the expected value is exceeded or an error if the (aggregated) stated amount exceeds the overall limit.
Creating SES for unplanned services with a purchase contract as source of supply
In the purchase order, you can leave open which items are required and at the same time restrict which items are allowed by the following scenario.
- In the purchase contract, you define the potential set of items that are required for a specific project in your company.
- In the purchase order item, you create a limit item. You assign the purchase contract to this limit item by entering the number of the contract into the Contract for Limitfield as the source of supply.
In the service entry sheet, you maintain the number of the purchase order as Reference Purchase Order. The number of the purchase contract is derived by the system as the Contract for Limit. By entering the Purchase Contract Item, you select the respective items from the contract. The purchase contract also determines the price per unit for each item.
Creating SES and add multiple service entry sheet items from purchase order or purchase contract
Instead of manually entering the details of service entry sheet items individually, you can add multiple items at once based on either the reference purchase order or purchase contract. The basic details for the selected items are then automatically entered in the service entry sheet.
- Go to Add Item from Purchase Order to display a list of all items in the reference purchase order or Add Item from Purchase Contract to display a list of the purchase contract items of all limit items in the referenced purchase order. Then select one or more items that you want to add as new service entry sheet items.
Details on Statuses in Service Entry Sheets.
The document and the approval status provide information on the current state of a service entry sheet and its approval process. In this topic, you find information on how the two statuses are related.
The document status describes the current state of the document itself. For example, a service entry sheet is In Process if a purchaser created and saved it but hasn't yet sent it for approval. The approval status, on the contrary, describes the state of the service entry sheet within its approval process. If a service entry sheet is, for example, In Approval the purchaser has sent it for approval and it's now waiting for an approver to either release or reject it.
The two statuses are closely related. The following table provides detailed information for each combination of document and approval status.
| Document Status (ApprovalStatus) | Approval Status (SESWorkflowStatus ) | Description |
| In Process (10) | Workflow not yet started (10) | The service entry sheet has been created and saved but not yet sent for approval. |
| In Process (10) | Canceled (50) | The service entry sheet was withdrawn from approval. The approval process was canceled. You can edit the service entry sheet again. |
| In Approval (20) | Workflow not yet started (10) | The service entry sheet was sent for approval and is now waiting for the flexible workflow to start. The approval status will change to In Approval (20) automatically. |
| In Approval (20) | In Approval (20) | The purchaser has sent the service entry sheet for approval and is now waiting for approvers to either release or reject it. |
| In Approval (20) | Error in Workflow Processing (80) | The service entry sheet was sent for approval but it couldn't be processed due to an error in the workflow process. For example, this might be an error during the creation of the goods receipt. Check the app Workflow in Status Error for more details. |
| In External Approval (21) | In External Approval (21) | The service entry was created externally in status In External Approval (21). It is now waiting for the service to either release or reject it. |
| Automatic Approval Pending (25) | In Approval (20) | The service entry sheet has been created from a timesheet and successfully sent for approval. It hasn't been approved because the goods receipt is yet to be created. This is done automatically. |
| Automatic Approval Pending (25) | Goods Receipt Error (70) | The service entry sheet has been created from a timesheet and successfully sent for approval. It hasn't been approved yet because an error occurred during the automatic creation of the goods receipt. Please check the app Monitor Service Entry Sheet Generation Log. |
| Approved (30) | Approved (30) | The service entry sheet was successfully approved and released. |
| Approved (30) | Automatically Approved (31) | The service entry sheet was automatically approved and released. |
| Approved (30) | Goods Receipt Error (70) | The service entry sheet was approved successfully. An attempt was made to revoke the service entry sheet but the offsetting entry of the goods receipt could not be created. Please check the app Monitor Service Entry Sheet Generation Log. |
| Rejected (40) | Rejected (40) | An approver has rejected the service entry sheet. You can edit it and send it again for approval. |
| Deleted (60) | Workflow not yet started (10) / Rejected (40) / Canceled (50) | The service entry sheet was deleted. In this case, the service entry sheet remains in the approval status it had before it was deleted. |
Account Assignment in Service Entry Sheets.
If the purchaser has already maintained an account assignment in the purchase order item, it is transferred to the service entry sheet and you can change it. If not maintained in the purchase order item, you define a valid account assignment for each service entry sheet item.
In general, you can define or change the following account assignment-related entries or settings in the service entry sheet:
Account Assignment Object
Depending on the data entered in the referenced purchase order, you can select one of the following Account Assignment Distribution indicators.
- Single Account Assignment
- Multiple account assignment
- Distribution by Amount
- Distribution on Quantity Basis
- Distribution by Percentage
In case of multiple account assignments, you can add or change the specific values for the Account Assignment Distribution.
The table below offers a more detailed overview of the possible constellations.
Pricing in Service Entry Sheets.
The pricing elements, the pricing procedure, price dates, price conditions, and subtotals are predefined in the reference purchase order or purchase contract. When you create a service entry sheet item, the condition basis and resulting values are determined and displayed automatically in the Pricing facet.
The following table gives you an overview of the requirements for displaying and editing pricing information in service entry sheets:
Restrictions on consumable Materials in Service Entry Sheets
- You can only record materials that were planned together with a service in a purchase order. This means that you have to maintain at least one item of product type group Service (2)in a service entry sheet. If you only add material items from the purchase order to the service entry sheet, an error occurs, and the service entry sheet can't be posted.
- You can't record unplanned materials with reference to purchase order limit items. This is only possible in Inventory Accounting (INV).
- Note that you can't change the account assignment stated in the purchase order for consumable materials in a service entry sheet.
- While you can add materials with or without a product master, there are several restrictions to the type of material you can add to a service entry sheet. You can’t record the following material types in a service entry sheet:
- batch-managed materials
- materials with classification
- materials with serial numbers
- materials with split valuation
- materials with manufacturer part numbers
- materials with a filled revision level
- materials with multiple schedule lines
- retail articles (with subitems in the purchase order).
Notes / Restrictions in Lean services
- A service entry sheet always references a single purchase order. You can add multiple purchase order items from this referenced purchase order to the service entry sheet.
- You can't record unplanned materials with reference to purchase order limit items. This is only possible in Inventory Accounting (INV).
- Please also note that you can't change the account assignment stated in the purchase order for consumable materials in a service entry sheet.
- A purchase order limit item allows you to post the invoice directly to the purchase order. In this case you don't set the goods receipt indicators and a service entry sheet isn't created.
- If you do not want to maintain service entry sheet later on for the purchase order, it is necessary to set the indicators as BLANK for Goods Receipt and Goods-Receipt-Based Invoice Verification on the Process Control tab of the PO item
- If the service entry sheet item refers to a purchase order limit item (unplanned services), only single account assignment is possible for the purchase order item as well as for the service entry sheet item.
- If the costs of the referenced purchase order (standard) item are distributed by amount, the distribution indicator Distribution by Amount cannot be changed in the service entry sheet. On the other hand, if you want to use the indicator Distribution by Amount in the service entry sheet, you have to already maintain it in the purchase order.
- You cannot change the Account Assignment Category that has been defined in the purchase order, except the account assignment category Unknown.
- Convert Purchase Requisition to Purchase Order Fiori app Process Purchase Requisitions - Formerly Manage Purchase Requisitions (F1048) only supports functional items (service or material), it does not support conversion on item hierarchy level. You need to use app Assign and Process Purchase Requisitions (ME57) to execute the conversion. Assign and Process Purchase Requisitions (ME57) only supports selection of single item hierarchy at once for adoption. Here its recommend you to create item hierarchy in separate purchase requisition.
I hope this will give you an idea of how to use lean services.
Thanks & Regards,
Joginder Saini
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